Generally, swinging patio doors and conventional two-panel sliding doors have been used to open homes up to the outdoors to create an indoor/outdoor connection. However, these traditional sliding doors are being replaced by lift and slide doors which offer a number of benefits ranging from appearance to functionality. A lift and slide door operates similar to a standard sliding door except it utilizes a roller system that allows the door panels to be lifted vertically above the track, so that the panels roll smoothly and quietly for opening and closing. As a result, a lift and slide door can efficiently divide and/or unify interior spaces of a house with exterior spaces of the house.
Unlike traditional patio and sliding doors, lift and slide doors are more aesthetically pleasing as they may be completely hidden from view. For example, lift and slide doors allow the homeowner to open up an entire wall of the house to the outside such that the view is unobstructed as the door panels are hidden (i.e., the panels can either nest behind one another and stored to one side or disappear completely from view by being positioned inside an exterior wall cavity). Lift and slide doors are commonly being used in warm climates and coastal areas to integrate the interior of the house with a sun room or rooms with an ocean view or the like. Not only do lift and slide doors allow for spectacular views of the surroundings, but they are being used to easily integrate a garden, balcony or surrounding areas with the interior of the house in order to provide the benefits of natural light into the home.
Advantageously, lift and slide doors maximize valuable living space while providing superior weather resistance properties. Namely, lift and slide doors provide superior sealing, which increases energy efficiency and, in turn, decreases heating and cooling costs. Finally, lift and slide doors are versatile as they may come in a variety of sizes, styles, panel configurations, materials, colors and other options to accommodate a particular homeowner's desires.
A common type of lift and slide door system includes a plurality of door panels, which may be stored to one side or “pocketed” inside an exterior wall cavity when desired. The system uses an interlocking mechanism to couple the panels together so that the entire system opens and closes on stainless steel rollers or a track system. Specifically, the lift and slide door sits on grooved rollers that carry the door along a track in the floor. When locked, the rollers retract and the lift and slide door eases down, compressing a sill gasket on each side of the track. Simultaneously, wedge-shaped locking pins pull the door to one side, compressing the gaskets on each side. Further, the pins engage in the jamb at multiple points along the leading edge of the locking panel for providing a secure connection. Once open, the door may be lowered at any position and locked and sealed by moving the handle up.
Generally, a handle is used with a lift and slide door in order to unlock the door, move the door into a desired position and then lock the door once it is in the desired position. The handle typically protrudes from the door so an operator can grasp the handle in order to move and lock the door. One significant limitation associated with this type of handle is its protruding nature, which creates certain disadvantages. For example, the handle is not hidden from view, so it creates aesthetic issues. As the handle is not flush with door, it can be bumped into by persons or the handle may catch on clothing items or articles of furniture being moved into the room.
In addition, when multiple panels in a lift and slide door system roll parallel to another, the protruding handle on the door's stile prohibits the same doors to bypass one another. This limitation of not being able to bypass one another requires a deeper wall cavity for storage when the panels are nested in a wall cavity. Since the door panels are stopped by the protruding nature of the handles on opposite door, a deeper wall cavity is required because the doors have to be staggered in the wall cavity. Consequently, the deeper wall cavity takes up valuable living space in this arrangement.
In order to address these limitations associated with the handle not being flush with the lift and slide door, the handle may be removable from the door. However, this creates other problems, such as requiring an additional step to remove the handle and then reattach the handle when the door is to be moved. Furthermore, the inconvenience associated with attaching and removing the handle may be further complicated if the handle is misplaced or lost, which is not only time-consuming but expensive if the handle must be replaced.
Accordingly, a need is identified for a handle for a lift and slide door, which may be stored substantially flush with the door such that it is out of the way while still being connected to the door while maximizing living space.